Google Photos is turning 10 this year, and to celebrate, they’ve given their photo editor a fresh new look plus some smart AI-powered features that were only on Pixel phones before, but now anyone can use them. One of the coolest is called Reimagine. Imagine snapping a photo with a dull, cloudy sky, and then telling Google Photos to swap it out for a bright, clear blue sky — just by typing it in. That’s the power of generative AI working behind the scenes to change objects and backgrounds exactly how you want. Then there’s Auto Frame, which is like…
Author: Intern
Most delivery robots stop at the curb. But for Veho and the Zurich-based startup Rivr, the real challenge—and the biggest opportunity—lies in those final 100 yards from the delivery van to your doorstep. Starting this Tuesday, Rivr’s unique four-wheeled, stair-climbing delivery robot—described by CEO Marko Bjelonic as “a dog on roller skates”—will begin ferrying packages from Veho’s vans directly to customers’ front doors in Austin. The program starts small. Just one carefully supervised robot will be on the move each day, working five to six hours a day over a couple of weeks in various parts of Austin. But both…
Tesla’s sales in Europe and the According to fresh data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, Tesla sold only 7,261 vehicles across the EU, EFTA countries, and the U.K. in April — that’s almost half (49%) fewer than the same month last year. What makes this drop even more puzzling is that Tesla recently launched a new Model Y, a move that usually brings a sales boost. But unlike Tesla, its competitors in Europe didn’t see such a decline. Some experts believe that CEO Elon Musk’s recent political involvement, especially his public support for former U.S. President Donald Trump, may…
Landa, a startup that launched with big promises, let people invest in residential real estate starting with only $5. The idea was to make real estate investment easy and accessible for everyday Americans by buying fractional shares of properties through their app. The company was founded in 2019 by CEO Yishai Cohen and former CTO Amit Assaraf, and quickly raised $33 million in funding by the time it came out of stealth in 2022. Users only needed to be over 18 and live in the U.S. to start investing, track their investments in real time, and buy or sell shares…
Mistral AI is a rising star from France that’s quickly grabbing attention as one of Europe’s most promising tech startups. It’s the company behind Le Chat, an AI chat assistant, and several powerful AI models. People often compare it to OpenAI, but Mistral still has a smaller slice of the global AI market. That said, in France, Mistral’s chat assistant made a splash when it launched on mobile app stores — so much so that even French President Emmanuel Macron encouraged people to try Le Chat over ChatGPT ahead of a major AI summit. That’s a big deal and shows…
Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has announced its second voluntary software recall within just a month. This comes after one of its robotaxis collided with an e-scooter rider in San Francisco on May 8. According to Zoox, the incident involved an empty robotaxi moving slowly. The vehicle had braked to yield at an intersection when the e-scooter hit it. This isn’t the first time Zoox has faced such issues recently. Just a few weeks earlier, the company recalled about 270 vehicles after a crash in Las Vegas between a Zoox robotaxi and a passenger car. That accident raised questions about…
Usually, when we think of venture capitalists (VCs), we imagine them pouring money into fresh startups aiming to shake up industries or invent entirely new ones. But lately, some VCs are trying something a bit different. Instead of just backing new companies, they’re buying mature businesses — things like call centers, accounting firms, and other professional service companies — and then using artificial intelligence to make these companies run smarter and serve more customers through automation. This approach is kind of like what private equity firms do with roll-ups, but with a high-tech twist. Big-name VCs like General Catalyst, Thrive…
Kesha, the singer known for her catchy hits and bold personality, is stepping into a new role — that of a startup founder. But this time, it’s not about her music career alone; it’s about creating a platform to support other artists. Her new venture, Smash, is described by Kesha on Instagram as a “community-based platform to connect and protect music creators.” This aligns closely with the mission behind her record label, Kesha Records, which she launched last year. While many know Kesha for her glitter and party anthems, her journey has also been marked by struggles with the music…
Apple CEO Tim Cook is said to have reached out directly to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, urging him to reconsider or veto a new state law that would require Apple to verify the ages of device users, according to The Wall Street Journal. The bill, which Abbott has yet to sign, aims to make sure that if a minor uses a device, their App Store account must be linked to their parents’ accounts. This would notify parents about their child’s app downloads and ask for their approval or rejection. Apple, along with Google, has been actively working with advocacy groups…
Sometimes startup stories sound so lucky, so full of unexpected twists, you might think fate itself had a hand in making them happen. That’s exactly how things unfolded for Throne, an Austin-based company building an AI-powered device that monitors gut health — all from your toilet. Throne just raised $4 million in a seed round led by Katie Jacobs Stanton of Moxxie Ventures, with support from a mix of venture capitalists and high-profile angel investors like Lance Armstrong, Tara Viswanathan from Rupa Health, and Justin Mares, founder of TrueMed. But here’s the twist: Throne isn’t a toilet itself. It’s a…
Strava, the popular social fitness app, is on an acquisition spree. After snapping up the runner-focused app Runna last month, Strava announced it has now acquired The Breakaway, a cycling app that uses AI to create personalized training plans. The Breakaway, which launched out of Y Combinator’s Summer 2021 cohort, helps cyclists build training programs tailored to their goals. Runna works similarly, but targets runners instead of cyclists. With these purchases, Strava is clearly aiming to offer more robust, AI-powered training tools directly to its millions of users. Strava is already a giant in the fitness app world. It lets…
Spotify recently shared encouraging news: allowing iOS users to pay for Premium subscriptions via external web links is already making a difference. This update came after a U.S. court ruling forced Apple to let developers direct customers to outside payment options within their apps — bypassing Apple’s usual commission fees. What Changed for Spotify Users? Spotify quickly updated its iOS app to include a “Premium Destination Page” that explains subscription pricing and provides a direct link to buy from Spotify’s website. They also added the ability to purchase audiobooks directly through this new system. In just two weeks, Spotify noticed…
Meta is rolling out a new initiative aimed at encouraging startups to build on its popular Llama AI models. The program, called Llama for Startups, offers not just funding support but direct guidance from Meta’s own Llama team. Startups based in the U.S. that have raised less than $10 million and have at least one developer on board can apply by May 30. Selected startups could receive up to $6,000 per month for six months to ease the costs of developing their AI projects. Meta’s experts will also work hands-on with them to explore advanced applications of Llama. This move…
Elon Musk has given us a peek behind the curtain on Tesla’s much-anticipated robotaxi tests coming to Austin next month. But don’t expect these self-driving cars to be roaming everywhere just yet. Musk says they’ll keep things tightly controlled — sticking only to the safest neighborhoods and routes. He was clear about one thing: Tesla’s cars won’t take on tricky intersections unless they’re really confident they can handle them without a hitch. If not, they’ll simply avoid those spots. Musk called their approach “extremely paranoid,” which honestly sounds like a smart move. After all, it’s better to be cautious than…
Google is rolling out its new AI Mode for search to everyone in the U.S. this week, promising a smarter, more conversational way to find information online. Announced at Google I/O 2025, this feature lets you ask complex, multi-part questions and follow up naturally — a big step beyond traditional search. Building on last year’s AI Overviews, which gave AI-generated summaries atop search results, AI Mode aims to be more interactive and accurate. While AI Overviews racked up over 1.5 billion users monthly, it wasn’t always perfect — remember that bizarre pizza glue suggestion? Google is aware and working to…